


The Luck Of The Draw

by MindlessIdeologist



Category: Homestuck
Genre: AU, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-03
Updated: 2013-12-31
Packaged: 2017-12-25 12:22:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/953049
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MindlessIdeologist/pseuds/MindlessIdeologist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Five minutes has John Egbert and Dave Strider acting like childhood friends, neither knows the other has been dancing circles around them for weeks, drawing close but never touching.</p><p>Tonight that changed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Took a break from working on Seeing Stars. Did this instead, because the allure of a surface idea with a plot to follow on is too much for me.
> 
> Most likely a oneshot unless another chapter is requested and I get the inspiration for it.  
> AU where Karkat is human.

Dave Strider twisted back to the bar in his seat, sighing in exasperation. He stared across the serving space, catching the eye of the younger bartender. He let out another sigh, dropping his gaze to the golden liquid in his glass, sipping it as shame coursed through him.  
  
A hand clouted his shoulder, making him choke on the mouthful of cider. He smirked forcedly at the culprit, “Hey Fuckass!” Karkat greeted, his dark hair not quite veiling his red-tinted eyes. Dave dropped the smirk, replacing it with something reminiscent of a frown- never could tell, behind those dark shades of his- and turned to Karkat, “Again, Kar? Where do you keep getting that stuff.” He hissed under his breath, not quite quiet enough, as the blue-eyed bartender sent a questioning look his way.  
“Ask Jade.” Karkat giggled at Dave’s concern. “And maybe you should try it, you’re so grouchy!”  
“You’re starting to sound like her.” Dave shot a glare at his friend that would have been a thousand times more effective if he hadn’t been wearing his shades.  
Noticing this, Karkat raised a hand to try to knock them off his face- a movement that was quickly interrupted as Dave stood up, Karkat’s wrist in his grasp, twisted to an uncomfortable angle.  
“Easy!”  
“Don’t. Touch. The shades.” Dave let his fingers spring open, leaving Karkat to nurse his twisted wrist and mutter obscenities under his breath.  
  
“Everything okay?” the blue-eyed bartender hadn’t been oblivious to the scenario, and he’d made his way over slowly. He lowered his voice down and leaned across the bar, toward Karkat, “Don’t want to cause trouble, buddy, but you’re high, and you need to get out.” There was a menacing power behind the words as the bartender indicated the door.  
If looks could kill, then the bartender would have been dead a thousand times, as Karkat shot him the most despising look Dave had ever seen anybody give.  
  
“Are you okay?” the bartender stored the glass he held under the counter and undid the back of his apron thing. He motioned something to the owner of the bar, and slipped over the counter with ease. Dave raised an eyebrow questioningly, but nodded. The bartender gave him one of the brightest smiles Dave had ever seen, and extended a hand. “I’m John. John Egbert.”  
“Dave Strider.” He shook John’s hand lightly, his own hand still hurting from his death grip on Karkat’s wrist.  
“What was that about?” John motioned toward the door, indicating Karkat.  
“He tried to touch the shades.” Dave smirked, a genuine smirk, pushing the offending eyepieces further onto his face.  
“Well is pretty dark in here, why are you wearing them anyhow?” John’s innocent, quizzical expression was the only thing that stemmed Dave’s short temper. The shades were a touchy subject.  
“None of your business.” That still sounded snappy, oops.  
“Okay.” John chirped cheerfully, making Dave break his blank façade in shock.  
“First person to take it that easy.” He commented, draining his cider. John pushed his hand down as he went to call for another.  
“Leave it, he waters it down anyhow. Feel like bailing on this place?” John shrugged one shoulder at the ceiling.  
“I’d love to, but my friends are still busy smoking pot in the toilets.” Dave grumbled.  
“Not exactly great friends, are they?” John gave Dave a dorky, toothy grin. Dave internally forced himself to calm down. Striders don’t do flippy-heart-things.  
“Nah, I suppose not. ‘kay, where to?” Dave hopped off the stool, stretching. He took note of John’s faint blush- he was sure it wasn’t just a change in the light- and relaxed, offering a hand to help his new friend to his feet.  
“Gentleman knows how to treat a lady.” John gave him another smile, and Dave could no longer deny the flippy thing his heart was doing. He must have let some expression slip onto his face, because when he came back to reality, he was looking directly at a giggling John.  
“Most places are either shut or full of drunkards at this hour.” John forced a straight face, checking his watch, “How about we head back to my apartment?”  
“Are you coming on to me, Egbert?” Dave gently mocked the younger. John flushed red, but didn’t miss a beat, responding with an, “Oh of course, Dave, let’s make out.” In a sarcastic tone, which made Dave laugh anyhow. Barely five minutes since their first interaction other than ordering alcohol and they were already acting like age-old friends.  
  
Just as they were about to leave, a shout of “Dave!” and some giggling reached them.  
“Shit.” Dave muttered, turning to the dark-haired girl who was stumbling toward him. She crashed into his chest at full pelt, knocking him down before rolling off, cackling. John helped him up. “Damn it Jade!” Dave snapped as he picked the blithering girl off the floor and sat her on a stool. John’s eyes widened in surprise as he peered around Dave’s shoulder- “Jade!”  
“What, wait, you know her?” Dave asked, confused.  
“She’s- that’s my sister!”  
  
“Dad, you remember the bar I work at right?” John switched the phone from one ear to the other, glaring at Jade. “Yes- could you drive down… like, now? Jade’s… I’ll explain in person when you get here.” John ‘mhm’-d a few times before cutting off the call.  
“I never expected it of you, Jade Harley.” John looped an arm around his sister’s shoulders, slinging her arm around his own. Dave did the same on the other side. “I never thought I’d have to take care of you, I thought that was your job!” he went on a rant about being the younger sibling, and Dave watched him as he snapped at Jade animatedly, ignoring his words, and focusing on his expression.  
Okay, this was definitely weird.  
  
It didn’t take any more than 10 minutes for Jade and John’s father to pull up in his car outside the bar, and between John and Dave, they patched together a detailed analysis of the night’s drugs- and a history, from what Dave said. Their Dad said nothing, merely puffing on his pipe in disgusted silence. When they finished, he offered John a ride back to his apartment.  
“Actually,” John laughed, “I was planning on taking Dave with me. This is Dave by the way.” John indicated the sandy-haired teenager. Dave shook hands with John’s Dad, smiling slightly. He seemed like a pretty nice guy. Shame his daughter was such an idiot.  
“Feel like a ride?”  
“Yeah, gives me chance to shame Jade for her abuse.” Dave said with a perfectly straight face.  
  
So they all piled into the car, John sitting between Dave and Jade in an uncomfortable squish. He wriggled a little, until finally Dave shifted his arm, allowing John to scoot toward him and a little more space. With no-where else to put it, Dave relocated his arm to around John’s shoulders.  
By the time they reached John’s apartment, he was out like a light. His father extracted the keys from John’s jeans pocket, handed them to Dave and instructed him on where to go. Dave ended up carrying John, princess style, into his apartment and setting him down on the sofa for unwillingness to go into his room.  
As he headed to leave, John’s eyes flew open, and he grasped the edge of Dave’s shirt. It seemed he had no choice in the matter, so Dave decided to stay the night. After locking the door (Which had taken about three attempts due to John’s freaking out whenever he attempted to leave), he sat on the sofa, eased John’s coat off of him, and laid it over him like a blanket. The sleeping John snuggled into Dave’s shoulder, and Dave sighed as he wrapped his arms around him, resting his own head in John’s (surprisingly fluffy) hair as sleep wound it’s dark ribbons around him.  
  
The light of midday broke into the room in cracks, waking John first. He smiled into Dave’s shirt, because it was exactly where he wanted to be.  
He’d been working at the bar for about three months, and Dave always came in with his friends, Rose and Karkat, every Tuesday, Friday and Saturday without fail (Although he’d never seen Jade before the events of the night before) and ordered about three ciders before Karkat and Rose would disappear, leaving Dave to sip his drink in a bitter silence.  
It had taken three months for John to work up the courage to say something unrelated to Dave’s cider drinking, but he’d been paying careful attention.  
He already knew his name was Dave Strider. He was eighteen years old, majoring in Music at the local Arts school. He never removed his shades, he hated studying and he was a straight-A student- a fact he was reminded of constantly by Rose.  
He was a riddle wrapped in a mystery wrapped in an enigma, and a puzzle John Egbert wanted to work out.  
  
“Morning.” Dave mumbled tiredly, unraveling his arms from around John with ease. John smiled sleepily back at him. “Hey.” Dave’s shades were askew. John reached up to straighten them, to which Dave flinched. “Relax.” John soothed, tapping them into place. Dave mumbled an embarrassed thanks, flushing slightly. John chuckled, sitting up and stretching, his arm bumping gently into Dave’s chest. Dave shoved him, smirking. “Breakfast?” he offered.  
“Dinner.” John corrected, pointing at the digital clock hanging above the door, blinking at them with gentle patience. It displayed the time as 12:42PM, which Dave found odd. He usually didn’t sleep that late  
Or that well, for that matter.  
  
Dave treated John to lunch in a small café just around the corner, forking out a good $20 for his and John’s meal, although he ordered considerably less. He claimed it was because he wasn’t hungry, in actuality, it was because he didn’t have the cash. But for some reason, he wanted to make a good impression on John, wanted more.  
That alone scared him.  
  
Dave had been 110% sure he was absolutely not homosexual. But then John Ebert came along with his brilliant eyes and his dorky smile and messy hair, and suddenly Dave found himself stumbling, breaking an age-old emotionless façade and no longer was he 110% sure he was heterosexual because now John Egbert was a person in his life.  
Dave had, of course, been studying the younger teenager with every chance he got since he began working at the bar. But he’d been able to deny any stirrings, because they hadn’t been direct.  
  
Now here he was in a café with him, watching him talk animatedly about Jade and Rose and how Karkat was a douche for getting Jade into the drugs (Even though Jade had supplied them, but John didn’t seem to listen to him) and various other details, paying rapt attention as John’s expression transitioned from angry to euphoric as his plate of food arrived. He wasted no time tucking into the large burger, whilst Dave picked quietly at his own small plate of chips.  
  
“Dave?” John said through bulging cheeks. He looked like a chipmunk, Dave observed.  
“Yeah?”  
“Please don’t tell me you’re not hungry when you clearly are.” John swallowed his mouthful of burger.  
“I’m not hungry.” Dave repeated forcefully, accidentally smacking his shades askew as he raised his hands in exasperation. “Shit” he pressed his eyes closed, leaving John to marvel over the dusting of freckles that scattered his face, and felt around the floor and table for the shades, not daring to open his eye even a millimeter.  
He heard a small cough, and felt John take his hand, pressing the shades into them gently.  
Once the shades were firmly back in place, the duo left the café, John subtly linking his arm through Dave’s as they stepped through the doorway.  
  
It took Dave an entire block to notice John’s arm through his own, but he didn’t shift. As they entered the confines of John’s apartment, Dave stopped at the door. He glanced over his shoulder, “I better get back, I have a few things to catch up on. Here,” he handed John a piece of paper with his name, phone number and address scrawled on it, “take this. And _call me_ , Egbert!” the flush of embarrassment finally finding its way to his face, spreading across the bridge of his nose. John stuck his tongue out of the corner of his mouth, smiling. “I will!”  
“Another thing.” Dave reached up, knocking his shades off his face and into his hand.  
John’s breath caught in his throat at Dave’s eyes- they were the most brilliant red he’d ever seen.  
The shades were replace, despite a breathy whisper from John of “They’re beautiful…”  
Dave chuckled, and turned to leave. Then he stopped and turned back momentarily. “Last thing.” He murmured, swiftly bridging the gap between them and kissing John, shocking the dark-haired teenager into a standstill. He made to pull away, but John tugged him back by his shirt, deepening the kiss. Dave duly noted that John tasted sweet- sweeter than any sugar product he could have bought, and he buried a hand in John’s fluffy black hair to keep him in place.  
  
After they finally pried themselves apart, Dave dipped his head in farewell, left John with a quick, gentle parting kiss, and strode out the door.  
  
John closed the door and sunk to the floor with his back against it.  
He could not believe that had just happened.  
He guessed it was just the luck of the draw.


	2. The Aftermath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shorty thing to wrap up because I can

John Egbert was working on a Saturday night like any other.

The bar was less crowded on Saturdays, since most students in the city cracked down on those nights, but the bar was still significantly full.  
John found himself checking his phone a lot. In fact, he even started hearing Nic Cage’s voice even when he had no texts. (Which turned out to be pretty much all night, except for when his Dad texted him to tell him that Jade just left the house, and requested he kept an eye out for her.)

At about half past ten, Jade herself stalked in. She looked sober, if a little drawn, so John turned his attention to her and slid her a cola with a friendly wink, as he pushed his own money into the palm of the trainee bartender, Tavros, who placed himself at the more hectic end of the bar so that John could settle to listen to his sister.

  
Jade looked at John with her big, sorrowful eyes that were magnified oddly by her glasses, and John found himself smiling internally even though his mouth didn’t break it’s tight and stern façade. Jade managed a weak grin, “John, I’m so sorry.” she began, but the bartender in question held up a hand to silence her, fixing a mixture of pity and exasperation to the scowl on his face. John wasn’t good at being mad, and both siblings knew it, but he was doing a pretty good job at that precise moment.  
John caught her forest green eyes in his level blue gaze, “I don’t want your apologies, Jade- it’s done. I want reasons.” he tried to put a level of power in the last three words and it kind of worked. Jade sighed, and set her half-empty glass of Cola on the bar. It‘s story time, John recognises the look on his sister‘s face and shifts to get comfortable.  
Jade began, fiddling with her necklace pendant. John had got it for her for her 14th birthday, a plain white circle with a bright green Spirograph-like pattern. Jade had worn the pendant almost every day since he gave it to her, and whenever John asked why she would only tell him it reminded her of a story she once made up.  
“Okay, John, you… you know Gamzee Makara?” Jade didn’t look up from her drink, but John nodded and gave a small sound of acknowledgement. Gamzee was in his grade when he was younger, but Gamzee got held back and John skipped, so they hadn’t met in years. Jade continued, “Well he sold Karkat and me some… stuff. I’m not sure what, I can’t remember. All I know is I kept going back for more, and eventually I dragged Karkat into it, too, and we got hooked and I’m so sorry, it’s all my fault!” she teared up. John stared at her in bewilderment. “Yes, it is.”

  
Jade burst into noisy tears and buried her head in her arms, leaving her brother to curse and poke her. “Jade, jeez, get up! I’ll have Cronus on my ass.” he indicated his boss, who was at the bottom of the bar, flirting with a student that John recognised as Eridan Ampora. He knew Eridan was a friend of Jade’s, and saw his opportunity. John jabbed Jade again, “Jade, please, do us all a favour and rescue Eridan from Cronus’ claws?” he forced a chuckle and a smirk, and received a smile from Jade in return. He was rewarded with Jade getting up, wiping her eyes and moving down the bar to sidle between Eridan and Cronus.

John rejoined Tavros to do his job, smiling at patrons and passing orders to the younger teen. Tavros very quickly began to panic, he ran his hands through his Mohawk time and time again until John eventually told him to clock off for the evening.  
The crowd had died down by that point, so John snuck a peek at his phone in his first spare moment and, seeing a text from Dave, unlocked it to read.

From Dave<3: hey john you at work  
To Dave<3: yep! are you coming by tonight?  
From Dave<3: im on my way

Dave turned up half an hour later, in a blue jacket that John recognised as his own, and red hoodie. Dave softened his expression into an almost-smile upon seeing John, and the latter reciprocated with a grin. Dave handed John his jacket, and John swore he saw him blush as their hands brushed beneath the fabric. John snorted. “Gay.”  
“Shut up.” Dave sighed fondly, and he ordered a drink.  
“Still with the shades?” John asked as he passed the glass across the bar.  
“Still with the shades.” Dave agreed with a smirk. John smiled gently and leaned across to kiss Dave on the cheek.

Jade rejoined John soon after, a distressed-looking Eridan huddled against her. Jade patted him gently on the shoulder and sat him on the stool next to her, she took a stool beside Dave. John passed Eridan the glass of red wine he usually ordered and tried his hardest not to laugh. Eridan nodded at him in tired thanks and drained his glass.  
“Thirty-three minutes.” Jade grinned as she sipped her cola, “A new record for Cronus.” she quickly straightened her face and turned to Dave to garble out a long-winded apology, which was met with many “You’re a fucking idiot’s” and “fuck you’s” but, eventually, Jade hugged Dave aggressively- and suddenly something in John’s head fell into place.  
“Oh.”  
Dave, Jade and Eridan all stared at John’s sudden sound.  
“It’s _that_ Dave.” John addressed Jade. She narrowed her eyes at her brother, but gave a small nod.  
“John?” Dave asked him as his expression dropped. John stared blankly back at him.  
All that he could hear rolling in his head was ‘ _Oh shit I kissed the guy my sister is in love with._ ’  
Dave stared at John from behind his shades, concerned. “John?” he repeated, reaching out to shake his arm. John suddenly snapped out of it.  
“Hm, yes, sorry.” John brushed his gaze to his sister. “Jade, I need to talk to you a minute.” his voice was distant, causing both Dave and Jade to show mild alarm. “Sure.” she stood, causing Eridan to scrabble for her sleeve, but she calmed him by promising she’d be back quickly and assigning Dave to anti-Cronus duty.

“What’s wrong, John?” Jade asked curiously as she and John reached the other end of the bar. John scratched awkwardly at the back of his neck as he tried desperately to figure out how to let her down. Just as John opened his mouth to begin, a shout of “ _John!_ ” down the bar. He flicked his gaze sideways to see Dave leant backwards over the bar under the leer of one Gamzee Makara. “Shit.” was the first word out of Jade’s mouth.  
“Dave.” was the first out of John’s.

The siblings scrabbled their way down the bar, John hopped over the bar halfway down to join Jade. He shoved Gamzee off of Dave, and Jade punched the assailant in the jaw. Gamzee sprawled backwards, falling into Eridan, who held him back with the help of another regular at the bar, Equius.  
John turned quickly to Dave, gently touching Dave’s face and shoulders, despite his repeated protests that he was fine. Jade growled at Gamzee before turning to John and Dave. “What the fuck was that over?” Dave held up his hands.  
“I have no idea.” he shrugged, then let out a single, breathy “Heh.” As John wrapped his arms around his neck. “Man, I’m fine. John seriously, you’re killing my cred here.” Dave muttered gently. He received heavy breathing in return, so he decided to put John’s hyperventilation to a real cause. In one fluid movement, Dave slipped down through John’s grip and lifted him slightly, pressing his own lips to John’s. John momentarily forgot where he was, just long enough to sink into Dave ever so slightly, on his tiptoes to meet Dave‘s kiss.  
“John?”  
Shit.  
Jade sounded hurt, and John immediately pulled away, looking like a rabbit in the headlamps of a car. “Jade, this is exactly what it looks like.” Dave spoke before John had the chance to, but he didn’t turn to look at her. He kept his gaze locked firmly on John, who stared at the faint outline of his eyes, monochrome behind the shades. Jade locked up in a whirr of emotion. Dave sighed gently and separated himself from John, turning to Jade. He stared her straight in the eye, “Yeah I’m aware of your stupid crush on me, but you can do better.” he shot her a small smirk. Jade snapped her mouth shut and glared at Dave. “I didn’t exactly expect it to be my brother.” Jade admitted with an eye roll after a full minute of tense silence. John put an arm gently around Dave’s waist, “Neither did I.” he half-lied.

Dave had been attending the bar for months, and over time John had found himself drawing closer and closer to the mysterious teen. He’d caught snippets of information when Dave had conversed with Karkat or one of the others that he knew, which included Equius and Nepeta.  
In fact, although John would never admit it, he’d been developing a crush on Dave.  
Of course, he’d had no idea that it was the same Dave that his sister talked about like a lovestruck schoolgirl.

Jade got over it pretty quickly, shelling out money for them all to have a drink as she laughed it off. “How long have you two actually been... Y’know, dating?” she asked over a sip. John spluttered on the mouthful of orange juice. Dave grinned.  
“I don’t think we officially announced it yet.” he quipped, John shook his head violently between coughs. Dave checked his watch, “Hm.. What time would you say I left earlier?”  
“Uh- About half one?” John spluttered between dwindling half-coughs. Dave did a quick visible calculation on his fingers.  
“Ten hours.”  
“Jesus christ, boys, tone it down. You’re acting like a married couple.” Jade rolled her eyes at John, who grinned right back in a sheepish fashion.  
“Closing time.” Cronus’ growl cut through the friendly atmosphere as he passed John. “Get ‘em out of here. Stop sendin’ your sister to interrupt my advances, ya dig?” it was more of a tired statement than an angry one.  
“Yeah I got it, stop hitting on my friends.” John retorted. Cronus gave him a sarcastic smirk and left with a grumble of ‘Little shit.’  
Eridan returned to cling to Jade.  
“Friend for life there yo.” Dave nodded at Eridan as John crossed the bar to join them.  
“Shut your fuckin’ face Strider.” Eridan retorted, fixing his scarf and glasses. “I don’t need protectin’” Jade put an arm around him anyhow. “Sure.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow, John!” Jade threw a backwards wave over her shoulder with the statement as she left, clad in Eridan’s cloak because it was, in Eridan’s words, “fucking cold and that shit was warm”  
“So, Egbert,” Dave exhaled, his breath coming out in white, smoky puffs, “My place tonight?”  
“Whatever happened to the southern gentlemen?”  
“I just wanna go home and get changed into a god damn onesie John please.” Dave whined in a mockingly childish tone. John chortled.  
“Alright, but I need to change too and you’re too tall for me to use your clothes.” he bargained with Dave, bumping into him playfully.  
“Hmph. Alright.”  
“Dave?”  
“What?” Dave turned toward John slightly, and the latter leaned up to meet his lips. After a moment or two, he broke away again. “I love you.”  
“I love you too.”  
Neither moved for a few seconds, smiling in the light of the moon.  
Dave clapped his hands, the sound reverberating down the street.  
“Come on, let’s go. I want to get you home as soon as possible.” Dave declared, starting briskly toeard John's apartment.

“The luck of the draw…” he whispered to himself as they arrived at his apartment.  
“What?”  
“The luck of the draw.” John repeated louder, entering the apartment and heading to his room to grab his own onesie.  
“What the fuck does that mean? If that’s a stupid Con Air quote I swear to god Egbert I’ll-”  
“No, I mean I was lucky.”  
“What?” Bewilderment was painted all over Dave’s face.  
“To finally get the chance to talk to you. To be with you instead of getting you alcohol.” John flushed and turned away to lock the door. “I’ve kind of been paying attention to you for a few months now.” he admitted. Dave stopped and stared at him, mouth hanging open in a dumbstruck expression.  
“Seriously?” he managed at last, “I… so have I! The only reason I went to that god damn place whilst Kar and co were smokin’ was ’cause I got to see you. Man, just think,” Dave laughed into the night air, John finished his sentence for him,  
“If we hadn’t beaten around the bush so much, this could have happened so much earlier.” he shook his head.  
“But y’know, if it hadn’t happened now, it wouldn’t have been so perfect. We even got Jade clean, I reckon.” Dave mused, placing an arm around John’s waist. “So I guess you were right.”  
“Hm?” John leaned into Dave’s side sleepily, allowing his warmth to seep into him. He felt Dave smile.  
“This really was the luck of the draw.”


End file.
